Notorious right-wing commentator Nick Griffin and controversial Katie Hopkins have both been slammed over comments made in the wake of the Leicester explosion.

Fire crews have recovered five bodies from the ruins of a building which was destroyed by an explosion in Leicester.

Relatives of a family who lived in a flat above a shop reduced to rubble by Sunday's "massive" blast said a mother and two of her three sons were missing - with the third being treated in hospital.

Superintendent Shane O'Neill, of Leicestershire Police, confirmed that the shop building in Hinckley Road, a major route in the west of the city, had a two-storey flat above it.

The senior officer said: "We believe there may be people who have not yet been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any further casualties.

"Although the cause of the explosion is not yet known, there is no evidence that this is linked to terrorism."

But despite police saying the cause of the blast would take "days" to establish, tweets from Griffin and Hopkins attracted a backlash in the aftermath of the explosion.

The former leader of the British National Party (BNP), Nick Griffin, led the charge of racially motivated discussion when he linked the incident to a “Jihadi bomb factory”.

The former member of European Parliament, who was president of BNP between 1999 and 2014, took to Twitter shortly after the blast.

The scene on Hinckley Road in Leicester

He shared a Mail Online article about the incident and said: “Could just be a gas accident. But, there again, Leicester is one of the most colonised cities in England, so a Jihadi bomb factory might just have gone up!”

He was swiftly lambasted by Leicester residents and his message was called “hateful” and “insulting”.

One said: “This is my street, my community and my people and you know NOTHING about us. This is a diverse area with more nationalities living in harmony than ANYWHERE else in the UK. Leicester is an example to the rest of the country in how to get it right!”

Katie Hopkins has also tweeted about the incident, making similar comments speculating about the cause.

The Leicester Mercury reports city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has said that he is aware of Mr Griffin’s comment, as well as similar speculation online, and thought it was “disgusting”.

Speaking to the Mercury, Sir Peter said: “To try and use it [the incident] to support nasty right-wing rumours is disgusting.

“It has all the appearance of a tragic accident and trying to turn that into political capital is disgusting.

“The people in that area showed their common humanity.

“The people who rushed to help were of all different nationalities, who rushed to the scene to do their bit.”

Fayyaz Suleman, chairman of the Leicester Council of Faiths, has also condemned the comment from Mr Griffin and similar politically charged discussions linked to the incident.

He said: “We would challenge anybody who is using this tragic incident for a political purpose.

“The facts have not been confirmed yet.

"Whatever the source of the explosion, the fact of the matter is we stand together.”